Inflammation & Diet Food

Inflammation is one way your body responds to injuries, infections and disease. Although it can play an important role in healing by fending off harmful substances, numerous health conditions involve misdirected inflammation, which means that your body triggers inflammatory responses when no harmful substances are present. Conditions characterized by inflammation include asthma, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and certain forms of cancer. In addition to medical treatments, when needed, dietary changes may help improve your symptoms.

Relationship

The foods you eat on a routine basis may alter the level of inflammation in your body. If you're prone to inflammation due to a medical condition, foods with anti-inflammatory properties may help manage symptoms, such as swelling, redness, pain, stiffness and flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and fever. If you have arthritis, for example, swapping pro-inflammatory foods out for anti-inflammatory foods may help ease joint swelling and pain. If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, an anti-inflammatory diet may help reduce inflammation in your arteries, reducing your risk for heart attack and stroke.

Helpful Foods

Diet components that may reduce inflammation, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, include fiber, low-glycemic foods, low-cholesterol foods and essential fatty acids. Low-glycemic foods have a mild impact on your blood sugar. Foods that are rich in fiber and low-glycemic include whole grains, such as oats, barley and brown rice, beans, lentils and most fruits and vegetables, including berries, broccoli, citrus fruits and leafy greens. Top source of essential fatty acids include fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna and halibut, flaxseeds, walnuts and canola oil. Low-cholesterol animal-derived foods include skinless white-meat poultry, low-fat dairy products, egg whites and white fish. All plant-based foods are cholesterol-free.

Foods to Limit

Saturated fats and trans-fatty acids can increase inflammation. Foods particularly rich in saturated fat include red, fried and processed meats, high-fat cheeses, egg yolks, butter and whole milk. In addition to worsening inflammation, trans-fatty acids may increase your HDL, or "good," cholesterol and raise your LDL, or "bad," cholesterol, according to MayoClinic.com. Common sources include stick margarine, commercially-baked cakes, cookies and pastries, prepared frosting, fried foods and all foods that list hydrogenated vegetable oil as an ingredient. High glycemic foods, such as white bread, instant rice and sugary foods, and excessive alcohol intake may also worsen inflammation.

Research

In a study published in the "Journal of the American College of Cardiology" in 2004, researchers analyzed the dietary habits and blood levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker, in 1,514 men and 1,528 women in the Attica area of Greece. Participants who ate diets most similar to traditional Mediterranean-style diets, rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and essential fats and low in saturated fat, showed an average of 20 precent lower CRP scores than participants who did not.